This is the beginning of our 24th year of looking at wildflowers in Cook County, MN. We are three senior women who just love to get out and explore and learn new things. We are even getting together all winter but don't find too many flowers at that time, but no matter.

Gaywings - Photo by Lorraine Adele Anderson

Wednesday, June 8, 2005

Coffee at J's in the upper level of her greenhouse. Her Queen of the Night or Cactus Orchid bloomed last night and she has several more buds. What a treat!! We decided to go to the Lima Grade bog. We went up the Gunflint Trail, turned left on the Lima Mountain Road. It was such an exciting road that it took us about an hour to go one mile. We drove slowly and stopped often and got out and walked often. The biggest treat were the many Gay Wings (Fringed Polygala). If anyone is looking for a place to pick blueberries this is the road - if the moisture keeps coming. We also saw Labrador Tea, Wild Purple Clematis and Marsh Marigolds. We turned left on the Lima Grade and were pleased to see a lot of Pale or Bog Laurel, 3-leafed Solomon Seal, Bog Rosemary and when we turned around and saw the northern part of that road there were many Purple Violets, Bog Buckbean, Cotton Grass and Clintonia (Blue-bead Lily). It was a cloudy, foggy day but the new spring green growth on the trees is so refreshing. Blooming along the highways we saw Buttercup, Caraway, Chokecherry, Baneberry and Winter Cress. We went on the Hungry Jack Road and saw that the Callas were just beginning to bloom. Lunch in the car (cool & bugs) at the Flour Lake Campground. In town the Lilacs are close to their peak. When I came home I found Spotted Coralroot (an orchid), Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Purple Clematis in my own woods.

 

 

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  Be sure to stop back throughout the Spring and Summer to see our weekly wildflower reports from Lorraine Anderson of Grand Marais, Minnesota.